The Small Mind Holds All of Existence Within
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
This mind holds every power in it. It carries the energy that moves the world and the stillness at the heart of things; it is the very life inside all the elements that make up everything.
And when you gather this mind and lift it into its highest, clearest state — awake and steady — something amazing opens up. From that clear place, the mind can see and speak the secrets of the whole of existence. The same mind that felt so small becomes a window onto everything.
The mind you carry around every day is much bigger than it seems. All of existence is reflected inside it.
This verse has no new letter of its own. It carries on Kabir's thoughts about the mind from the letter Mamma. Ih man saktee ih man see-o — this mind is Shakti, and this mind is Shiva. In Indian thought these are two great powers. Shakti is the energy that makes and moves everything. Shiva is pure awareness, deep stillness. Kabir names both with respect. His point is not about beliefs. He is saying that energy and stillness both live inside the mind itself.
Ih man panch tat ko jee-o — this mind is the life of the five elements, the building blocks of everything.
Ih man lay ja-o unman rahai — when this mind is gathered up and rests in unman. Unman is the state beyond busy, everyday thinking: pure, clear awareness. Ta-o teen lok kee baatai kahai — then it can speak of the three worlds, all of existence.
Think of a small, still pond on a clear night. It is tiny, yet the whole sky shows up in it. The mind does not grab the universe. It sees the universe already reflected within.
Have you ever felt your mind go completely clear and still — and how did the world look from inside that quiet?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI